Chances are, no Hong Kong director working today will ever manage to top the gloriously sleazy Category III exploitation of Clarence Fok’s Naked Killer. But that’s not keeping some people from trying. Back in 2002, the usually classy Ching Siu-tung helmed a movie called Naked Weapon, which was seen as a throwback of sorts to Naked Killer and starred Maggie Q and Daniel Wu. Now Marco Mak, no stranger to … Continue reading →

Kuchisake-onna is the urban myth involving a slit-mouthed woman that was popularized in Japan during the late 70’s and has since been immortalized in several horror movies. You can add another film to the pile with Kuchisake-onna Returns, which opens in Japan this July 7th, 2012. The story follows a young grad student who heads to a rural town in the hopes of studying the Kuchisake-onna myth. Not surprisingly, she soon … Continue reading →

The trailer is online for Wu Dang, a new fantasy-based Chinese martial arts film from the director of Twins Effect II and featuring action choreography by the legendary Corey Yuen. The film stars Vincent Zhao, who is probably most famous at the moment for dropping out of Donnie Yen’s Special Identity, alongside Siu-Wong Fan (Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky) and Yang Mi. Based on the trailer, it looks like this movie … Continue reading →

Beyond Hollywood has the trailer for a new Chinese-language horror film called Bi Xian (“A Crazy Single Mom”), which is actually arriving from the Korean filmmaker behind movies like Phone and Nightmare. Director Byung-ki Ahn formed his own Beijing-based production company and Bi Xian is their first release. Plot details are scarce but it looks to involve a woman who moves into a haunted house with her young son. Chinese … Continue reading →

There’s no denying the zombie genre has grown a little stale these days. George Romero has said just about everything has to say with the genre and zombies are now beamed into our homes on a regular basis thanks to The Walking Dead. But Taiwanese director Joe Chien may have stumbled upon a way to make the shambling undead seem interesting again, by adding a healthy dose of Category III-style … Continue reading →

It’s not even the Fourth of July yet and already I’m tired of all the fireworks that have been going off in my neighborhood. Anyway, let’s take a look at what’s available this week, shall we? Here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 7/3/12: ASIAN CINEMA Wind Blast (Blu-ray/DVD) – Well Go USA releases this 2010 Western-tinged Chinese action film starring Wu Jing and Francis Ng … Continue reading →

Legendary martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping (The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to reflect back on his long and illustrious career in both Hong Kong cinema and Hollywood. It’s a worthwhile read, which you can find over at Chinese Films. It’s long been rumored that Yuen Woo-ping and actor Donnie Yen were no longer on good terms, despite Yuen Woo-ping helping give Yen his big break, but that … Continue reading →

There’s a new horror anthology film coming out of South Korea, featuring five tales of terror from five uniquely talented directors, and appropriately enough it’s titled Horror Stories. The trailer is now online and it’s equal turns atmospheric and disturbing. Past works from the filmmakers involved include Epitaph, White, and Memento Mori. Supposedly each story in the film will explore a relevant topic in contemporary Korean society, such as capitalism run … Continue reading →

Just what is the upcoming South Korean horror/thriller Conspirators about? Well, as of right now the plot is anyone’s guess. Some suspect it’s about an organ harvester claiming victims on a cruise ship, while the Asian Wiki has a more cryptic summary of Chinese cruise passengers under siege by ‘pursuers.’ Either way, it sounds like this particular oceanbound trip is going to be anything but smooth sailing. Check out the striking poster … Continue reading →

There’s no denying that director Oliver Stone was one of the top Hollywood provocateurs of the 80’s and 90’s. Films like Wall Street and JFK were guaranteed to get audiences talking as soon as they hit theaters. Hell, I still say that Natural Born Killers is one of the best movies of the 90’s, even if Quentin Tarantino claims Stone mangled his screenplay. The last decade hasn’t been terribly kind … Continue reading →

Tatsuya Fujiwara, the fresh-faced teen who fought his classmates to the death in Battle Royale and made a deal with some devils in Death Note, is all grown up. As someone who was indoctrinated into Asian cinema partially based on the strength of 2000’s Battle Royale, that makes me feel kinda old. But at least Fujiwara’s next film looks promising. I’m Flash! arrives from director Toshiaki Toyoda (Blue Spring) and … Continue reading →

Chinese Films has the scoop on a new Hong Kong action picture with an impressive pedigree, called Motorway. The project has culled together talent from the Hong Kong, Mainland, and Taiwan film industries. In the film, produced by the legendary Johnnie To, Anthony Wong (Hard Boiled) and Shawn Yue (Infernal Affairs II) play two traffic cops who go after speeding bad guys in their disguised police car. Director Pou-Soi Cheang … Continue reading →

June has come and gone. But we’re still standing! And there’s plenty of Asian cinema to explore this week. So without any more stalling, here are your Blu-ray and DVD releases for the week of 6/26/12: ASIAN CINEMA The Samurai Trilogy (Blu-ray/DVD) – the Criterion Collection presents three classic 1950’s samurai films from director Hiroshi Inagaki and starring the indomitable Toshiro Mifune Sector 7 (Blu-ray/DVD) – this big-budget 2011 Korean creature feature … Continue reading →